Vision magazine is now available

Amy Clickner

Amy Clickner

The Vision magazine is now printed and online! This annual project, which we collaborate on with The Mining Journal and Northern Michigan University’s Marketing Department, provides a glimpse into Marquette County to encourage the attraction of business and talent. We use this piece to share with site selectors and developers across the country who are looking for opportunities to relocate, expand or build a business.

We are grateful for the Vision advertisers that make this project possible, as well as our partners at The Mining Journal and NMU for the copy, photos and layout. It truly is a team effort!

The magazine is intended to provide a “teaser” for all that we have to offer in our region. For example, there are sections devoted to local business, non-profit, health care, education, recreation and services. It provides basic information on our demographics and resources typically required by a new business or resident, and third party recognition via the many awards our community has received. We believe that once someone flips through our Vision magazine, they will want to learn more about our community and certainly want to visit.

To get a copy of the Vision magazine, stop by our office or go online at https://marquette.org/live-work/vision-magazine/ for a digital version.

On another note, Business Leaders for Michigan just published their 2017 Economic Competitiveness Benchmarking Report. This tracks Michigan’s performance on its journey to become a “top 10” state for a healthy economy. Currently, the top 10 states include: California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas and Washington. This is based on jobs, income, GDP and population.

So where do we stand? First, some areas where we improved:

– Ranked 10th in population

– 12th in overall business climate

– 10th in number of patents

– 31st in per capital personal income

– 17th in state and local government spending

Some areas where we fell:

– Unfunded pension liabilities dropped to 28th

– Corporate tax climate lowered to 8th

– CTE enrollment down to 42nd

– Exports fell to 6th

– Urban road conditions now 38th

It is important to note that since this benchmarking began in 2009, we have seen dramatic improvements. In 2009, a majority of the key indicators for Michigan were trending downward. Today, it is quite the opposite with most trending upward. The full report breaks down all of the indicators at the state and regional level. You can find the report online at https://businessleadersformichigan.com/2017-economic-competitiveness-benchmarking-report/.

So you may have that “so what?” question in your mind. Why does it matter if we are a top ten state? Well, just imagine if we were performing at that level. We would see:

– 34,000 more Michigan people working

– $9,500 more income per person

– $11,700 more GDP per person

I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me!

For information on regional wealth indicators for our region, simply check out our website, www.marquette.org. We track this on a monthly basis to make sure Marquette County’s economy continues to head in a positive direction.

Editor’s NOTE: Amy Clickner is CEO of the Lake Superior Community Partnership. Her twice-monthly column will address topics of interest to the local business community.